Jason Collins steady in first start for Celtics

Bill Doyle TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Published Thursday December 20, 2012 at 6:00 am

In his first start as a Celtic on Wednesday night, Jason Collins didn’t attempt any field goals and had only one point and two rebounds in 23 minutes, but coach Doc Rivers didn’t care. He still liked what he saw.

“He doesn’t have to get any better to me, honestly,” Rivers said after the Celtics beat the Cavs, 103-91, last night at the Garden. “I just think he does a lot of things.”

Rivers liked the way Collins was physical under the basket and freed things up for Kevin Garnett.

“He took charges, and he just clogged the middle up,” Rivers said. “He’s one of the better talkers on our team defensively and knows everything we’re doing, and I thought he made Kevin relax. He’s felt like he’s had to do so much, and I thought having Jason out there was good for him.”

Despite what Rivers said, there is room for improvement. Collins was physical, but he didn’t so much to stop Cavs rookie center Tyler Zeller, who made his first career start and scored a career-high 20 points. Collins fouled out and picked up a flagrant foul for knocking the facemask off Tristian Thompson with 3:13 left.

The 7-foot Collins had played in only five games prior to last night and scored just two points all season. He did grab five rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench Tuesday in Chicago.

Collins didn’t find out he was going to start until about 50 minutes before tipoff.

“I could feel a chance was coming,” Collins said, “so with that, you’ve just got to be ready for anything.”

Rivers said he had thought about starting Collins in place of Brandon Bass for a while.

“I’ve been trying to find ways,” Rivers said, “to get Kevin off the 5 spot all game and right now, even when we bring the other guys in, the same guys guard him, and he’s stuck in the same position. The only way you can force the action is with Jason.”

Jason Terry scored 15 points while starting at shooting guard in place of Courtney Lee.

Terry took only two shots and scored just two points off the bench in a loss at Chicago Tuesday, so Rivers wanted to play him more alongside Rajon Rondo.

“It has nothing to do with anybody else,” Rivers said. “It’s more just trying to keep Jet involved, and he needs to be out on the floor with a point guard that can deliver the ball to him. When he’s with the other group, he doesn’t get the ball.”

If that’s true, it will be interesting to see what happens to Terry when Avery Bradley returns in a couple of weeks. Bradley is expected to reclaim his starting job of last season so Terry will return to the bench and not play as much with Rondo.

Bradley said nothing is set, but the team hopes he can return Jan. 2 at home against Memphis. The third-year guard warns Celtics fans that he’s no savior.

“Nobody’s a savior for a team,” Bradley said. “We’re a team. All I can do is do my role and go out there and do my role and play as hard as I can.”

Bradley said he felt no pressure to live up to increased expectations.

“No, not all,” he said. “I’m going to go out and play hard regardless, just play the same way I know to play.”

Bradley practiced for the first time this season Monday in Chicago. The Celtics aren’t scheduled to practice again until Sunday. Bradley will accompany the team on a four-game road trip next week, but does not expect to play.

“Nah, I doubt it,” he said. “Knowing Ed (Lacerte, the team’s trainer), he sticks to a schedule. That’s what he’s been saying, around January. We’ll see how I feel.”

Contact Bill Doyle at wdoyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15